The Family's Not Full
by tulip meadow
Summary: A startling secret is revealed during Red's attempts to recover her memory! Red also had a "little sister" in the fake family she created! That "sister" is nowhere to be found, so the Grimms search for her... Rating might change to T - I'm not sure.
1. A sister?

**Chapter 1. A sister?**

Nurse Sprat and Mr. Canis were helping Red Riding Hood to recover her memories. It was hard for her, but she continued taking magical mixtures and meditating. Canis believed that Red could reveal the weak points of the Scarlet Hand, since she used to be a member.

That day was no different. Nurse Sprat gave Red some glowing yellow tablets, and Red sat and searched for faint flashes of memory in her mind. Mr. Canis was patiently sitting nearby, trying to recover the memory of his own. Sprat was terribly worried about them both; she wandered around impatiently. When Red suddenly screamed, Sprat prepared for the worst.

"What's the matter?" she cried, rushing to the girl's side.

"I r-remember something," Red sobbed. "I… I think…"

"Calm down," Mr. Canis said.

"I remember the d-d-days wh-when I had m-my fake f-family w-with m-m-me," Red stammered. "Mr. and Mrs. Grimm, l-little Basil and…" Red looked terrified, "and I've j-just rem-membered someth-thing about having _a little sister_."

"A _SISTER_?" Mr. Canis and Nurse Sprat exclaimed in unison. Then Mr. Canis tried to get over his excitement and shock.

"A human or an Everafter?" he asked Red.

"It s-sounds strange, but I believe… both. I mean, the girl was both human and Everafter. I can't explain. That's all I recall."

"Can you describe her?"

"She was a baby about… several months old, I think. She had green eyes and… and… pale skin… round face… and brown hair… and… that's all I see…" Red burst into tears.

"Call the Grimms," Nurse said to Mr. Canis then turned her attention back to Red. "It's all right, we'll find her."

"I kidnapped another little girl!" Red cried. "What will her parents say?"

"Now, now… First, you weren't yourself back then. Second, we don't even know if your 'little sister' was kidnapped. The Grimms will find everything out. It wasn't your fault anyway," Nurse Sprat handed a handkerchief to the girl.

The door of the new wooden hospital building opened and the sisters Grimm ran inside, followed by Henry, Veronica with Basil in her arms, Jake, Puck, Mr. Canis, and Elvis.

"Red, could you please repeat everything once more?" Mr. Canis said. Red sighed and told the Grimms about the newly restored memories.

"A little sister!" Sabrina exclaimed. "Mom, is it possible that little Basil had a twin sister?"

"I think not," Veronica said as if uncertain. "Green eyes, pale skin, round face, and brown hair – hmmm… this girl doesn't resemble anyone in our family. And Red mentioned that she was half-Everafter. So, I am sure the 'little sister' wasn't the actual sister of Basil's."

"And you can't remember where the girl is now?" Daphne asked Red.

"A dark forest… a shack… nothing more…" Red whispered.

"We'll have to find it out by ourselves," Henry said hopelessly. Daphne was more self-convinced.

"Does the shack you remember look like Baba Yaga's house?" she wanted to know.

"No chicken legs," Red said simply.

"Well, thank you, Red." Veronica said. "C'mon, let's go look through the family journals."

"To find anything about a girl like Red's 'sister'?" Sabrina said with sarcasm. "Duh! There are many green-eyed, brown-haired baby girls with pale round faces in this world."

"We are going to find something about shacks in the forests around our town," Veronica ignored Sabrina's comment. "There aren't many shacks in there, you know. Don't worry, Red! We'll solve this case."

"We are Grimms, and that's what we do!" Daphne sang.

* * *

**A short entry in Sabrina's journal**

_We have another case to investigate. Today Red remembered she had had a "little sister" (when she was mad). Now this little sister is somewhere in "a shack in a dark forest". The shack is not Baba Yaga's, to my relief. Anyway, we have to find the mysterious girl._

_I don't like it! We must solve another freaky mystery instead of trying to return poor Granny. She's still possessed by Mirror._

_Nobody listens to me, as usual. Mom and Dad took the case. We are now going to look through… (sigh)… the family journals. Maybe there are some mentions of a shack in the forests around Ferryport Landing._

* * *

**I think the first chapters of my stories are ALWAYS short. The next ones will be longer and (I hope) more interesting, as usual! I'm waiting for the reviews!**


	2. The sword's needed again

**Chapter 2. The sword's needed again**

Sabrina's POV

We had been searching for the information we needed for about two and a half hours. The only records about any houses in the woods mentioned Baba Yaga's house. But Red didn't remember the chicken legs… I felt lost. Even Puck was bored with all this. Uncle Jake, the most enthusiastic Grimm detective, stood up and said:

"I think I should go visit Briar's grave."

"_Grave_?" Daphne exclaimed. "_Grave_! The cemetery!"

"What are you talking about?" Mom asked her.

"Sabrina, remember the day when we got back from the future with Charming?" Daphne said. "We went away from the cemetery…"

A bright flash of memory appeared in my mind.

"…and we saw a _shack in the wood_!" I finished for Daphne. Oh, my sister is a genius.

"Indeed?" Uncle Jake, who was going to leave the cabin, turned back. "What did it look like, girls?"

"Well, an ordinary wooden shack," I shrugged. "A rather bad-looking one, all covered in dirt and moss. There was a brand-new gray limousine parked near it, though. Charming pounded on the cabin's door, demanding a ride to the town," Daphne and I both chuckled. "Some man rudely shouted at us. We had to leave it, and that's all."

"Excellent!" Dad said. "Now we know a lot. People who live there are rich enough to buy a limousine, but they can't clean their own house. That's because, I suppose, the house is magical. Maybe there's even a spell upon it that makes it look dirty and poor. But it's not the point. And there's at least one man with a little girl living there. We know the description of the girl! All we have to do is to reveal her identity. That man can help us with that."

"But we know next to nothing about him," I argued.

"We have to learn something else," Mom said cheerfully. "For example, we know that he bought the newest model of the limousine during the past year – probably. And who sells expensive cars in Ferryport Landing? Who knows?"

I didn't know. Daphne shook her head as well. Dad frowned, he obviously couldn't remember. Uncle Jake was the one who grinned and announced:

"Merryweather, the youngest sister of Buzzflower and Mallobarb's."

Daphne bit her palm.

"And she's on our side," Uncle Jake added. "So now we have to visit her and find out about her latest customers."

* * *

Merryweather, a friendly old fairy, was busy preparing a storm to unleash it on the Scarlet Hand. When we explained our task to her, she smiled kindly and nodded:

"Of course I remember who bought the cars recently. There aren't many millionaires in here, you see. Well, a limousine was bought by Charming… then by the Queen of Hearts and Nottingham… and the last one I had before I closed my car business was bought by Demetrius."

"From 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?" Puck cried.

"Yeah, the one and only."

"Oh my!" I said. "Then it's Demetrius who lives in that ugly shack! And he has a wife – Helena or something…"

"They divorced a hundred years ago," Puck said. "It was really funny! The love potion stopped working, and Demetrius fell out of love with Helena in a second. He never married anyone again."

"Thanks a lot, Mrs. Weather," Dad said to Merryweather. "We better go back to the main cabin and continue solving the case."

* * *

We returned to the cabin. I was shocked about how the case was going to turn out. Puck was beaming with pride: as a character of the same play, he knew a lot about Demetrius. He offered to help us.

"Demetrius was a friend of the fairies long before 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' started," he told us. "In fact, he met some of Mom's servants in his childhood and knew everything about Faerie. He just kept it as a secret, as I suspect."

"Red said her sister was half-human, half-Everafter," Daphne said. "I think Demetrius was married to a fairy before he even met Helena and became an Everafter!"

"Possible," Dad agreed. "Shakespeare mentions that Demetrius wasn't exactly loyal to his beloved."

Puck laughed:

"I remember how much he adored Hermia!"

"Well, now we have to find him and ask about Red's sister," I said. "And then everything will be over at last, and we'll concern on rescuing Granny."

"It's not that easy," Mom said. "Demetrius is in the Scarlet Hand."

I groaned. What next? Meanwhile, Mom was still thinking aloud:

"Demetrius is in the Hand. Let's assume his main job is to take care of the mysterious little girl… whoever she is. He doesn't want anybody to get to the shack: he was very rude with Charming, Sabrina and Daphne. I think the 'little sister' of Red's is very important for the Hand."

"She might have some special talents or abilities," Daphne said.

"I'm sure of it," Uncle Jake said. "All human-Everafter kids are… er… strange. They can possess magic as powerful as the Blue Fairy's. The bad thing about them is that they are mortal. And they can't control their powers and talents, so they can cause chaos against their own will."

"Wow," I said. "Then how Demetrius can take care of the girl?"

"He certainly has some spells that temporarily weaken her. Anyway, we must find out who's the girl," Uncle Jake said firmly. "If I know who her parents were, I'll be able to find out what powers she possesses and how we can bring her to _our_ side."

"I think we need to contact Mom," Puck said. "She knows something about the girl's mother! I have no doubt!"

"Well then, someone has to go to New York City," Dad concluded. "There's no other way to meet Titania."

"HOORAY! I'll witness the cutting of the barrier myself!" Puck exclaimed. "We need that Vorpal blade once more!"

"I'm afraid we do," I grunted.

**Is it a cliffhanger? If not, I'll try to put one in the end of the next chapter.**

**P.S. Thanks for the reviews.**


	3. Old friends return

**Thanks to Lara D and EstrangeloEdessa for the reviews! I'm updating right now!**

**Chapter 3. Old friends return**

Sabrina's POV

When we realized we needed to cut a hole in the barrier again, we remembered that it probably would become a very risky thing.

"It's good that the fort is near the barrier," Dad said. "Nevertheless, the woods are inspected by the hobgoblin patrols. We can defend ourselves with the Vorpal blade, but they're outnumbering anyway!"

"We have to be most careful," Uncle Jake agreed. "It appears that the Hand doesn't want to lose that 'sister' of Red's. If they find out that we found out…"

"Get to the point," I said.

"They'll guard the little girl with their lives," Uncle finished. It dawned on me that he was absolutely right. The "little sister" seemed to be a great help to the Scarlet Hand. They wouldn't simply release her or let us learn anything about her… I even felt a little afraid of the whole case.

"No need to worry," Puck grinned. "I'd get rid of them if they dare to attack _me_. Remember what I told you? Don't disrespect my sword," he showed us his precious wooden sword.

"Ugh! Some little branch against the Scarlet Hand blades!" I laughed.

"_Little branch_? Ugly, it will defend us better than just your weak fists!"

"You think they're weak?" I raised my hand to punch that fairy boy in the face when Mom shouted:

"Enough fighting! Let's take the Vorpal sword and pack some food and clothes. We are going to New York City right now. It's late in the evening, I hope the hobgoblin patrols are a little less fierce."

"Wait a minute!" Dad snapped. "Who's going to the city? And _how_? The railway station is surrounded by the Hand. The roads are also blocked. Are we going to walk eighty miles on our own?"

"We'll have to drive our… eh… car straight through the forest," Mom said. "It won't be easy, but we have nothing to lose. Our car is already broken in every possible way, so the trip through the woods cannot harm it more." she smiled.

"A car is going to ride through forests?" Puck and Daphne exclaimed in unison. "Awesome!"

I didn't think so. I imagined our family car jumping on the ground and slamming into trees…

"Perhaps we'll draw the hobgoblins' attention to us instead of hiding from them," I thought. But when my parents set their minds on something, it's extremely difficult to stop them. Before I realized what was going on, I was already helping my mother with packing bags.

"Don't take too much food," Mom said. "If we get to the Golden Egg, we'll find everything we need in there."

"Everything we need? Oh, I'd love to find anything _really helpful_ in what's left of Faerie," I said. My sarcasm was ignored. Dad went to Charming to tell him about our plans, and Charming gave me, Daphne, little Basil, Mom and Dad a permission to go to the Big Apple. I guess he was glad to get rid of some of the Grimms for some time! (Uncle Jake is staying here to keep the barrier spell).

Mr. Canis, Red and Puck are coming with us, of course. Red is still having a nervous fit, so we'll have to deal with her cries and sobs during the journey.

* * *

**An hour later**

The northern gates of the fort opened, and Mr. Canis drove our car into the woods. He wasted fourteen bottles of engine oil to lubricate it, so it was _relatively_ quiet.

"The noises might not be heard by the hobgoblins," I thought hopefully. "Though I doubt it."

I was in a rotten mood. It was dark and creepy, the black trees looked like beasts. I was squeezed in the backseat with Daphne, Red and Puck. Red was still whimpering and silently crying, Puck was all covered in dirt, as always. Even Daphne, our happy optimist, looked sad and scared.

Suddenly the car stopped. Mr. Canis turned the engine off.

"_HUSH_!" he whispered. "Somebody's coming."

Several shadows appeared in the darkness. Daphne and Red squeezed my hands. Puck tried to look at the strangers closely, but he could barely see anything.

"Who goes there?" a deep voice shouted. It was oddly familiar to me, though I wasn't able to recognize the man. We remained silent. I felt like even my heartbeat paused.

"Who goes there?" the stranger repeated. "I have a flash-light with me. I'll turn it on if you don't answer my question!"

The bushes could hide the car, but if the man searched them, he'd find us in a moment.

"I'm asking you for the last time," he snapped. "Who. Is. There? We have guns, by the way."

"Guns?" I thought, startled. "The Scarlet Hand only uses magical weapons and cold steel. There are no guns in the town! Maybe those are humans?.."

"I'm turning the flash-l-light on!" the man warned us. I could have sworn that his voice trembled a bit. Then we heard a clicking sound, and a bright ray of light blinded be. When my eyes adjusted to it, I looked at the strangers and saw…

* * *

…none other than the former Sheriff Hamstead in a new uniform, with trembling Bess by his side, and another couple unknown to me: a man with a perfectly round face and a very short, thin woman, both dressed in shining armor.

The group was as surprised as we were. They stood still for several moments in astonishment.

"The Grimms?" Hamstead finally cried, smiling. He noticed Mom and Dad and his smile became wider:

"I can see you found a way to wake Henry and Veronica up."

We got out of the car and greeted our old friends. Everyone cheered and laughed about how much we scared each other. Now all of us were relaxed and happy, except for Red who was still in tears. Mr. Canis told Hamstead and Bess what they had missed in Ferryport Landing, and Hamstead introduced us to the round-faced man and the thin woman:

"Meet our new friends, Mr. Plate and his wife Spoon."

"They are from the same nursery rhyme as me," Bess explained. Daphne bit her palm and squealed with delight. Meanwhile Hamstead told us a little about his honeymoon:

"After Hawaii, we went to London," he said. "That's where we met Plate and Spoon. Then Bess received a letter from King Mustardseed. He was worried about the situation in Ferryport Landing. So we hurried back and – well, the situation is bad indeed, as I see."

"And what about the new police uniform?" I asked.

"I'm now a policeman in Faerie," Hamstead said proudly. "The first and only for now."

"Cool!" Puck said. "We are now going to visit my mom and brother, in fact," and he explained everything about Red's "little sister".

"What's better for us?" Bess asked Mom. "Shall we go with you? Or is it better to come to Fort Charming?"

"You won't find it without our help," Mom said. "Of course, we may return and show you the way to the fort…"

"No, no!" Hamstead interrupted. "I think we'll join you."

"Sure," Bess smiled. "We'll help you, it's a nice contrast from our peaceful honeymoon!"

"Adventures!" Plate and Spoon cried happily. We squeezed back into the car. Plate and Spoon transformed into a real porcelain plate and a brass spoon, because there was no space left for normal-sized people after Hamstead and Bess got inside! Mr. Canis turned the engines on again, and we continued our journey to New York City.

Our old friends congratulated us for our family reunion and for setting Mr. Canis and Red free of their evil alter egos. The only thing that caused them to frown and grow sad was Mirror's betrayal. They promised to help us fight the Scarlet Hand and find Red's "sister", and we actually were cheered up.

When Dad cut a large hole in the barrier with the Vorpal blade and we drove to a normal road at last, I felt more optimistic than earlier.


	4. Meeting the fairies

**Chapter 4. Meeting the fairies**

Sabrina's POV

We drove to New York City without incidents. The empty road and the endless fields and hills looked a little scary in the night, but Hamstead's flash-light was still on, and we could see our surroundings properly. Mr. Canis drove as fast as our vehicle's engines would allow. I'm glad that we didn't meet policemen: a car _that_ old and broken, plus the speeding are good reasons for an arrest or a big fine. And we had no money.

Daphne fell asleep not long after we passed the barrier. Everyone else couldn't keep their eyes open either. Soon the only people left awake were Mr. Canis, who drove the car, Bess, who tried not to drop Plate and Spoon, and me. I felt too worried to sleep.

We reached New York around two o'clock in the morning. It was a nice time to go to Faerie, because there weren't as many cars on the streets as in daytime, and we were near Central Park sooner than I predicted.

"We must get right to the statue of Andersen unnoticed," Mom said. "It's late nighttime, you know."

"Well, yes, so is there any short way to it?" I asked. "We don't have magical items that can make us invisible, and we can't turn into birds or other small creatures."

"I can," Puck reminded me. Mom ignored his comment and said:

"Daphne, could you show us your little collection of magical jewels?"

"Sure!" Daphne opened her purse and took out several necklaces, a dozen bracelets and diadems, and lots of bizarre-looking rings. Mom and Dad examined the jewels and pointed to several green wooden rings.

"Those are transition rings. They were described in "The Magician's Nephew", one of the books from the Chronicles of Narnia. According to the book, a person with such rings could move to other worlds." Dad explained. "But Daphne, you have the simplest version of the rings, they can move you only two hundred yards away."

"That's just what we need!" Hamstead interrupted. "We'll have to put rings on several times, but we'll get to the statue in a flash!"

Daphne had enough rings for everyone. We turned to the park and put them on. I felt the familiar sensation of magic, and then there was a short howling sound. The rings brought us inside Central Park. Daphne and I remembered where Andersen's statue stood, and we turned in the direction we needed.

Three another transitions – and I found myself looking at the statue of the famous writer.

"Now let's enter Faerie!" Mom said. We joined our hands, Puck put his free hand on the statue and said, smirking:

"Well, knock-knock."

"_Who's there?_" the statue asked, as usual, and the portal to Faerie opened. We were standing outside _The Golden Egg_. It looked nicer than in the winter: roses and lilies grew around it, and the walls were decorated with ivy. The strange thing about it, though, was that the door was closed and locked, and in front of it there stood Mustardseed.

* * *

Mustardseed was dressed in silvery armor, and his sword was drawn.

"Who dares to enter…" the fairy started angrily, but then he recognized us.

"Puck! Grimms! Hamstead!" he shouted in happiness and ran to shake our hands. "What a surprise! Sorry for being unwelcome, but times are really rough right now, so I had to be careful. C'mon, I'll show you the secret entrance to the Golden Egg."

"Did the Scarlet Hand find Faerie?" I wanted to know. Mustardseed led us along the walls of the café.

"Let's get inside, I'll explain everything," he said.

"Is Mom all right?" Puck asked. Mustardseed smiled and nodded. He stopped us and pulled up a large stone from the ground. Under the stone, we saw a wooden door.

"We're hiding underground," Mustardseed explained. He unlocked the door and helped us to get down a rope-ladder into something that looked like a dark cellar. I felt uncomfortable. It was so cold and dark that Puck and Mustardseed called their pixies to light our path. We walked along a narrow tunnel to another wooden door.

I was starting to think that I was seeing a strange endless dream, when Mustardseed said something like a magical password and the door swung open.

Finally we were in a large room, all crowded with Everafters. Momma, Titania, fairies, the gingerbread people, magicians, and goblins were walking around it and discussing battle plans.

"Welcome to the main room of our shelter!" Mustardseed smiled proudly.

"Cool!" Puck said. "Like our fort."

"PUCK AND THE GRIMMS ARE HERE!" Mustardseed shouted over the noise. "THEY ALSO BROUGHT FRIENDS!"

Titania rushed to us and hugged everyone, starting with Puck.

"Oh, you've returned! Goodness, Veronica, you're revived! So happy to meet you all again! I have been worrying so much!" she cried. "The Hand is committing crimes and terrors even in New York! I thought Ferryport Landing was destructed!.."

"It is, in fact," I said. "Charming built a fort in the woods, and we live in there."

"We had to build a hiding place as well," the queen sighed. "Moth escaped the prison a day before the execution was planned, and she joined the Hand. Oz is now gathering an army to start conquering people right now, even before their Master rises."

"He's going to escape the barrier at any moment," Dad said. "It's Mirror who turned out to be the Master – worse, he took my mother's body to become a human-Everafter person. So it's possible for him to show up here very soon."

"Our army isn't as powerful as it seems," Titania said. "We can't fight. We can only hide."

"I've started thinking about moving to Ferryport Landing," Mustardseed told us. "At least Prince Charming has a fortress there and a large army."

"We're discussing this decision," Titania added. I couldn't wait to tell her about the case of Red's "little sister", so I interrupted:

"Titania, I don't want to be rude, but we came to you mostly because we have an urgent case to investigate."

**Sorry for the long delay in updating! I have spent the whole month at the countryside.**

**Also – thanks for all the readers and reviewers! I'll try to write the next chapter as soon as possible.**


	5. A crystal ball

**Chapter 5. A crystal ball**

Titania's POV

When Sabrina told me about their case, I was shocked. I knew Demetrius had many of fairy girlfriends, but I never suspected about him getting married to one of them.

"Well, I'm going to find out his first wife's identity," I said. Then I called every one of my ladies-in-waiting to the main room of the shelter and asked them about Demetrius. Most of them – the beautiful ones – blushed and giggled like fools. But one of them didn't giggle. Her face blanched, she stepped forward, sighed and confessed:

"Majesty, Demetrius married me long, long ago. A year after I lost my first husband. And Demetrius broke our marriage in less than a month, leaving me…" the lady coughed and sobbed. "…leaving me with a child!.."

"_So that's it!_" Henry Grimm exclaimed. "Titania, who's this lady?"

I scowled:

"Her name's Butterfly. She's… she's Moth's mother."

Sabrina Grimm looked startled and very confused:

"B-but Moth is a teenager, and she lives in New York! How?.."

"My lady, you misunderstood me," Butterfly said sadly. "Moth is the daughter of my first husband. She was a cold-blooded, mean ten-year-old when her father died. He was the only one who could control her evil. So Moth became really murderous – even in those times. She hated Demetrius and she couldn't stand my second daughter, Calendula. The daughter of Demetrius."

After telling the story, Butterfly burst into hysterical sobs, and the servants escorted her away from the room.

"Poor woman," Veronica said.

"Yes, we all feel sorry for her," I nodded. "She's kind and shy herself, Moth has nothing of her character."

"Did that Calendula show any magical talents?" Sabrina asked, getting back to the case.

"She didn't," Mustardseed replied. "But she possessed some power. It's certain. When she was born, Mom came to see her with a magic detector, and the detector started shaking violently. We don't know much about the girl. A hundred years ago, after divorcing Helena, Demetrius went to Butterfly and urged her to give his daughter to him. Then he moved to Ferryport Landing. That's all we know."

"But we _must _know what powers Calendula has!" Sabrina exclaimed.

"Who can tell us about her?" Daphne wondered.

"Perhaps I'll ask Butterfly when she calms down," I offered. "Nobody has been close to either of her daughters. The only people who know anything about Calendula are Moth and Demetrius. Both are members of the Hand."

The Grimms discussed something in low voices, and then Veronica said:

"Titania, since we have to solve the mystery, we have to live somewhere. Is it safe enough to book rooms in a hotel, or should we better stay here?"

"Of course you'll stay here!" I smiled. "Mustardseed, do we have any free rooms?"

"I'm not sure, Mom, but I'll build them in no time if necessary," Mustardseed said. He went to check the rooms and returned in a minute, shouting happily:

"Two dozens of free rooms! It's more than enough! The Grimms and everybody with them can get settled there right now!"

* * *

Sabrina's POV

Well, it's better than nothing. We had a shelter and we had some news for the case. Lady Butterfly was still in hysterics, so we've decided to wait until she got better. When she got better, we'd ask her several more questions about her youngest daughter.

While waiting, we wanted to get some rest. Hamstead, Bess, Plate and Spoon went to sleep. Mr. Canis and Red had to meditate. Daphne was starving, so she went to the main room to get something to eat. Puck went to talk with his brother. Mom, Dad and I sat in Mom's room to discuss the case.

Suddenly, an ear-shattering alarm filled my ears. We stood up and ran to the main room, where Titania stopped us:

"Don't worry. Moth and her pixies have just attacked us. It's a frequent thing now. Mustardseed's pixies are defending the shelter, as usual."

In a minute, the alarm stopped. A flock of green sparkles flew into the main room, buzzing something to Mustardseed and Puck. Mustardseed seemed relaxed, and Puck grinned and praised the pixies:

"Awesome! The next time, call for me. I'd like to see Moth's twisted face when you fly at her."

The pixies continued to buzz. A group of them flew to Mustardseed, carrying something small and circular.

"A crystal ball? Excellent job," Mustardseed smiled, took the thing from the pixies and shouted to us:

"The pixies managed to snatch a crystal ball from Moth! It's one of her most important possessions: using it, she could watch us. Now she doesn't have it anymore!"

"A crystal ball?" Daphne rushed to us, her eyes lit up with interest.

"You can watch anything you want in it," Dad explained. He took the ball from Mustardseed and continued:

"For example, we need to see… Jake."

All of us surrounded the ball. It shined and glowed, and suddenly the view of Fort Charming was revealed. It grew in size, and I spotted the cemetery and Briar's grave with the rosebush near it. Uncle Jake was sitting near the gravestone with his head lowered.

"Wow!" Daphne said.

"It's important for our little army," Mustardseed interrupted, taking the ball back. The image of Uncle Jake faded. "We can now see our enemies wherever they are."

I had an idea:

"Exactly!" I cried. "And we also can watch Calendula and Demetrius if we want! Now we can find out what magical talents the little girl possesses! The ball can be a great help to our case!"

Mustardseed smiled and nodded.

"We want to see Calendula, please," he said to the ball. A new 3D image appeared inside.

"My little sister!" Red squeaked. I saw a girl about a year old, with brown hair, big emerald-green eyes and unnaturally pale skin. The girl was wearing a little white dress; she was standing near a dirty little shack, which was surrounded by large trees. It was definitely the shack Charming, Daphne and I encountered after our trip to the future.

"You can hear the sounds through the ball," Veronica whispered as Calendula smiled slyly and turned to the shack.

"Daddy!" Calendula cried. "I believe someone's watching me!"

**Thanks to SabrinaDaphne13 for the review! I'm updating.**


	6. Calendula's powers

**Chapter 6. Calendula's powers**

Sabrina's POV

We froze when we heard Calendula's words. Did she notice us from far away? – this question bounced in my mind and in the minds of the rest of us, as I suspect. Meanwhile, the girl called for her father once more, and Demetrius exited the shack. He was a handsome man in his early thirties, with coal black curly hair and tanned face. But his eyes were frightening: I saw the very familiar evil gleam in them. The evil gleam of the true member of the Scarlet Hand.

"What's that, Calendula?" he asked the girl.

"Someone's watching me," Calendula repeated. "Someone who's located… eh… in New York."

"Well, there's no need to worry. Moth and the rest of our New York agents like watching Ferryport Landing. They do it every day."

"But Daddy, those watching me now are enemies."

"Don't be a fool," Demetrius scolded. "Charming's army has no crystal balls with it. Perhaps it's Moth watching you; and she… ahem… doesn't love you very much. You know – she's the ugly big stepsister."

"Moth's not an enemy of _yours_." Calendula said quietly, but Demetrius was already getting back into the shack. Calendula sighed and followed him.

* * *

The image changed, and we saw the living room of the shack. It was terribly dark and dirty, with a tiny window, which was closed. A tiny candle was lit, and scary shadows were dancing around.

"Poor Calendula!" Daphne said. "I can't believe anybody's able to live in a room like _this_!"

"Hush!" Mom said. "Demetrius is speaking."

Demetrius told Calendula to bring him something. He said it in a low voice, so I couldn't hear him properly. Calendula, though, seemed to understand.

"In a second, Daddy!" she said. Suddenly, she outstretched her hand, closed her eyes, and a small pocket mirror fell into her hand out of midair.

"Oh, here it is. Thanks," Demetrius snatched the mirror from his daughter.

"Did you see it?" I cried. "Calendula can get things out of nowhere!"

"I don't think so," Dad corrected me. "I suppose that the girl's able to teleport things. Perhaps the mirror has been in another room or in a drawer. Calendula transported it right into her hand."

I looked inside the crystal ball again. Demetrius was using the pocket mirror to talk with Mirror; the little mirror was like a computer with a web-camera.

"Hello, Master," Demetrius said respectfully. "No – everything's quiet. I was just a little alarmed by my daughter. She noticed someone watching her from New York. Well, you know she has that power… What? Oh, she says these were enemies. Maybe some of the Grimms moved to New York. Could you please check this? Thank you, Master."

When he finished talking with Mirror, he turned to his daughter. Calendula was sitting on the floor and playing with a wooden doll.

"Calendula," Demetrius said, "Are these enemies still watching us? Track them down."

When I heard this, I knew we had to act fast. I pushed the crystal ball away. The image faded, but the ball fell down. It would have shattered on the floor, but Puck caught it.

"You should be more careful, ugly," he said.

"It was _you _who hadn't been careful! Calendula was going to track us down! If we continued to watch her, she'd have revealed the location of Titania's shelter!" I cried. Titania looked shocked.

"Well. Then thank you, Sabrina," Mustardseed said. "Let's now see what we know."

He ordered the servants to bring pens and paper, and Dad wrote down everything about Calendula's powers – at least, everything we had found out. The list turned out to be rather short, but for me it was better than nothing:

_Calendula's magic abilities:_

_1. Calendula seems to notice if anybody watches her._

_2. She can teleport things, even the magical ones._

_3. She can track down people who are far from her._

* * *

"Yeah, she's very important for the Hand," Dad said as he finished the list. "In fact, she can steal weapons from our fort using her powers!"

"And she can help the Hand to find the fort," Hamstead added. "It's hidden in the woods, but if Calendula tries to track it down…"

"It's not 'if', it's 'when'!" I interrupted. "We must somehow kidnap Calendula! She's a child, so she'd work for us as eagerly as she works for the Hand."

"I don't know about that," Titania said sadly. "Demetrius is her father, she loves him and she tries to help him."

"Lady Butterfly is her mother!" Daphne said. "Why wouldn't Calendula try to help her Mom?"

"She certainly doesn't remember her mother," Titania said. "Demetrius took her away from Butterfly when she was a baby."

"We'll bring her to Lady Butterfly, and she'll raise her daughter!" Daphne argued. "In that case, Calendula would forget Demetrius very soon."

"All right, but isn't it risky?" I asked. "I don't know how we can kidnap Calendula if Demetrius is always looking after her?"

"We have to make a plan," Puck smirked. "It's _very_ risky, so it will be really cool!"

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**Again, I'm sorry for the delay in updating! I'll try to update every day in the autumn.**


	7. The robbery of Fort Charming

**Chapter 7. The robbery of Fort Charming**

Red's POV

Everybody had just found out about my little sister's… Calendula's magical talents. She's not my little sister, but I'm still calling her that – I've gotten used to it.

So Sabrina suggested that we'd kidnap Calendula; else she'd grow up as a very dangerous member of the Scarlet Hand. I didn't take part in all the discussions: I felt exhausted after the journey and my nervous fits. Mr. Canis told me:

"You'd better go to your room, Red. You look tired."

"_Very _tired," I said and turned to leave the main room. Suddenly, a flock of pixies flew inside. They were buzzing like a million bees and carrying a small envelope.

"What's that?" Puck asked. Obviously, they were his pixies. As they buzzed something to him, he scowled and he mumbled "uh-oh…". He took the envelope from the pixies and said:

"Something pretty bad has happened in Fort Charming. These pixies were flying near the barrier when one of Charming's soldiers spotted them and threw this letter to them. Then he shouted something about 'calling for help' and 'emergency'. Look like the army has faced troubles."

"Give me the letter!" Sabrina cried. Puck opened the envelope and handed her the letter. The family crowded around Sabrina as she read the letter aloud:

"_Dear Mom, Hank, Veronica, Brina, Daphne, and everyone else!_

_We're desperate. Four hours after you left, every resident of the fort was woken up by the guards. They saw our weapons, the water cannons, the catapults – all our supplies – __**disappear**__ right in front of them! Everything just – well, faded!_

_As the panic was stopped, Charming and Seven examined the fort. Every weapon, from the kitchen-knives to the horn of the North Wind, was taken. Moreover, there was nothing left of the food supplies – even the wild berries and mushrooms from the forests have disappeared! I have checked it myself. The well of the fort is now dry and dirty – the water has vanished as well!_

_The Blue Fairy has constructed some simple weapons and also some food, but we fear it will be taken again. It's obvious that this robbery was organized by the Scarlet Hand. If they have our weapons, we don't have the smallest chance of defeating them._

_Please return as soon as possible – and bring some help, if you can. Maybe Titania and Mustardseed can send some weapons and food to us. _

_The only good thing is that nobody was hurt during the robbery – thank goodness. But people are panicked and scared, even Charming has lost some of his bravado._

_I hope you're fine and safe._

_Lovingly,_

_Jake."_

"Oh no!" Sabrina exclaimed when she finished reading. "I think that Calendula's powers have been used already!"

"Poor people!" Daphne cried. "We must come back right now!"

"We'll go with you," Mustardseed said unexpectedly. "If everything's this bad, then we can't just sit here and wait. Right, Mom?"

"We have an army of over a hundred fairies, a dozen goblins, not including other magic creatures," Titania said proudly. "We'll be a help to you. The Scarlet Hand hopefully won't expect it."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Veronica said with happy tears in her eyes. "But you'll be stuck inside the barrier…"

"That doesn't matter. We're stuck in this shelter, we're afraid to go to the city. In Ferryport Landing, we'll have more room than we have here." Titania smiled. "Mustardseed, prepare the army to move."

Mustardseed flew and shouted commands to the soldiers. The Grimm family, though, weren't so optimistic. Daphne was whimpering, Sabrina looked angry and irritated, little Basil woke up and cried. Henry talked with Hamstead, Bess, Plate and Spoon. Their low voices sounded very worried.

I didn't know how I could help them. I felt a little ashamed to stand still, while everyone else was busy and concerned.

Titania looked at me and said:

"Well, Red, you can help with packing. My ladies-in-waiting aren't too experienced in packing, so you can come and assist them."

I was happy to find some work for myself. The fairy ladies couldn't pack their bags by themselves, so I spent three hours with them, until fifty bags and trunks were packed and closed. By that time, the Grimms and Titania's army were ready to go.

Mustardseed led us upstairs, and then to New York City. Titania constructed some "invisibility barrier" around us, so the plain people weren't able to see us. It was noon, the streets were noisy and crowded; that invisibility barrier was truly useful.

Mr. Canis drove our car in front of the army. The car was still _relatively_ quiet, but the noise was still really disturbing. Everyone in the family was already nervous, and the car annoyed them more than usual.

* * *

**Two and a half hours later**

During our journey to Ferryport Landing, I calmed down and had some sleep at last. I thought that a tornado wouldn't wake me up, but I woke up when our poor vehicle started jumping on the ground of the familiar creepy woods.

We were twice attacked by the hobgoblin patrols, but now we had an army on our side. Mustardseed's fairies killed the first patrol and captured the second one.

"We'll question them as soon as we get to the fort," Mustardseed said. "We'll see if it really was Calendula who robbed Charming's army."

Finally, I saw the walls of Fort Charming appearing behind the dark trees.

"Who goes there?" the guard shouted, just as usual. The only difference was that he sounded frightened.

Veronica shouted back:

"It's us! The Grimm family! Along with Hamstead, Bess, and the whole army of Faerie!"

The gate opened wide, and we came inside the fort. What we saw was terrible!

**Looks like a cliffhanger… Sorry if I don't update during the next week. I'm going on another short trip tomorrow evening.**

**Reviews are welcomed! :) **


	8. Discouraged

**I am on a trip, but anyway I'm updating! There's a WiFi connection and a computer in the apartment I live in.**

**Thanks for the newest reviews!**

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Chapter 8. Discouraged

Red's POV

The fort was empty. The fort was _completely empty_! Only the walls and the gates were left. The cabins, the garden, the catapults - everything was gone. The inhabitants of the fort stood in the middle of it, and they looked frightened and tired. Charming was shouting something that was meant to calm them, but his own voice was trembling. When he saw us, though, his face lit up.

"The Grimms brought help!" he cried happily and turned back to the crowd. "_What_ did I tell you?"

He was so proud of himself! I snickered. Charming always boasts about things he didn't do at all. Right now, he looked like he brought the fairies' army to the fort himself.

Seven rushed to us.

"Everyone here is discouraged, nobody believes the Scarlet Hand can be defeated!" he said. "Please, help us to retrieve all the stolen property back! If we do it, it will cheer our people up a little and confuse the Hand a lot!"

"We're Grimms, and that's what we do!" Daphne said, putting on a fake smile.

"We'll try to help," Titania added, stepping forward. "While the Grimms are on the case, our troops will help you with the military thing. We have nearly five hundred of trained soldiers, not counting the rest of Faerie people."

"Great!" Mr. Seven said. "Our army is unable to fight, even the bravest ones are on the verge of hysterics."

"We already have something that might be a solution to this robbery case," Veronica said as she got out of the car. "We suspect that Red's 'little sister' is behind it."

I felt terribly ashamed and lowered my head. Veronica noticed that and smiled:

"Oh, Red, calm down. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. Now, let's tell everybody the story of Calendula, and then we'll call this girl by name."

"And, by the way, we proved that you're not responsible for Calendula's kidnapping," Daphne said. She's always so kind with me.

"Moreover, Calendula wasn't even kidnapped," she continued. "Demetrius took her to live with him as her father."

Charming came to us and greeted the people of Faerie.

"Well, Grimms, tell us what you've found out in New York," he ordered.

* * *

Sabrina and Daphne told Charming everything they knew about Calendula. Henry showed him the list of Calendula's special talents, pointing to the talent #2.

"She can teleport things, even the magical ones," Charming read aloud.

"Do you think that Calendula transported everything from the fort to who-knows-where?" Seven asked.

"We have that suspect," Sabrina said. "To get this clear, we need to kidnap Calendula. Her mother is Titania's lady-in-waiting, so the girl will live with family. Daphne is good with talking to kids of her age and younger, so she'll find out if Calendula was asked to rob the fort."

"I doubt that will work," Seven said. "One-year-olds have problems with understanding such complicated things. You saw the girl in the crystal ball, teleporting a pocket mirror. Well, according to your story, she uses her magical talents as simply as we eat and breathe! She probably won't even remember anything useful for the case."

"We'll see," Daphne argued. "Anyway, Calendula has to be kidnapped. She looks like a very nice girl right now, but if Demetrius brings her up, she'll become a true member of the Hand. And every child needs a mother! We have to rescue Calendula from Demetrius - even if she doesn't help this particular case!"

"OK," Seven said. "All of you, have a little rest (though I don't know where), and then we'll discuss this matter."

* * *

Seven was right, it was very difficult to find some place for rest in the fort. The cabins and the tents had disappeared, as well as the garden, the hospital, and the towers. I asked Mr. Canis if I meditate for some time instead of plain wandering around.

"Better not," Mr. Canis said. "You're tired and shocked, and meditation always brings bad memories to you. For now, you should walk, get some fresh forest air, clear your mind - and then Seven's going to talk with us about Calendula's kidnapping and the robbery of the fort. Maybe after that you'll meditate. What if you recover some more memories about Calendula's powers?"

So I walked around what was left of the fort. I felt terrible. The empty fort wasn't exactly a nice sight to watch, and Charming's soldiers were shooting me bitter and angry looks.

I went to the place right in front of the gates, where the living area had once been located. Now the army of Faerie was building new wooden cabins. I watched them working.

Mustardseed noticed me.

"Red?" he called. "Go tell Charming that the living area will be restored by tomorrow evening."

"Yes, in a second," I nodded.

"I hope the Scarlet Hand didn't see us coming," Mustardseed laughed. "By the way, we are soon going to question the hobgoblin patrol we've captured in the woods. No offence, but questioning isn't for nervous people to watch."

"We have to be harsh with prisoners," Titania explained. "Now, Red, go to Charming. He's anxious to know when the new cabins will be built."

I obeyed.

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**Maybe I'll put some Red/Mustardseed romance in the following chapters. Tell me if you like the idea!**


	9. A plan at last

**Chapter 9. A plan at last**

Sabrina's POV

Well, everyone got a little so-called rest and Seven gathered us together to discuss Calendula's case.

"We've decided that we are going to kidnap the girl, right?" he said.

"Right," Daphne replied.

"I thought about that," Uncle Jake raised his hand. "I'm sure I have a plan."

"Well?" Seven asked.

"It's quite simple, actually. One of us uses a magic wand to be disguised as some soldier of the Scarlet Hand. A hobgoblin, or a card soldier, perhaps. He goes to Demetrius - as though to tell him some news. Demetrius doesn't suspect anything. Our spy throws some Forgetful Dust at him and tells him to go away from the shack. When Demetrius obeys, our agent just takes Calendula and storms away!"

"Good," I said. "Only perhaps I have some improvements for it!"

"What improvements?" Uncle Jake wanted to know.

"You mentioned Forgetful Dust. But it's temporary, as you well know! Why not send Beauty to hypnotize Demetrius? She'll tell him that he doesn't have a daughter. Then Demetrius will forget Calendula forever, am I right?" I asked Beauty who was standing nearby. She nodded enthusiastically.

"All the Scarlet Hand members are like beasts!" she said. "My hypnotizing trick will work on them!"

"So you'll be the one to go to Demetrius?" Mom wanted to make sure of it. Beauty blanched and shook her head. Her little dog whined.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Beauty cried. "I'm afraid to go alone!"

"Duh!" I said to myself. "These fragile fairy-tale princesses!"

"Then somebody must go with you, naturally," Seven said. "For example, Prince Mustardseed."

"I love adventures!" Mustardseed said happily. "Will I be turned into a card soldier for a while?"

"It's awesome!" Puck agreed. "May I go too?"

"All right!" Seven laughed. "The three of you will be disguised as card soldiers. You'll come to Demetrius..."

"Wait, wait!" I stopped him. "Am I staying here?"

"We're Grimms, that's exactly what we do!" Daphne added in an offended voice.

"Card soldiers are always in groups," I explained. "There are at least five soldiers in a group."

"Fine! Fine! Fine!" Mr. Seven surrendered. "There will be six of y..."

"I'm tired of my children running on their own," he was stopped again, now it was Dad. "Send Veronica and me. If we run into real Hand members, we'll have to defend ourselves. Veronica and I are expert fighters, and we're strong. It's more safe for four kids and a fairy-tale princess to be protected by us."

"Wait a minute!" Puck said. "Henry, I'm the worst villain ever born! And Mustardseed is a prized swordfighter!"

"Sorry," Dad rolled his eyes. "Anyway, it's more safe."

"I'll send all of you," Seven assured him. "You'll go tomorrow, bright and early. If the Hand keeps Calendula, the poor innocent child might bring lots of dangers to us without knowing it."

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**Today I had a lack of inspiration for this story, so the chapter's pretty short. Sorry!**

**Thanks for all reviews!**


	10. Strange visitors

**Chapter 10. Strange visitors**

It was an early morning. Even the creepy forest and the dirty shack looked picturesque in the sunshine. Demetrius, though, woke up with a very bad feeling. He woke his daughter up, and fed her with her usual breakfast: wild berries and water. Poor Calendula! She didn't know that the water was magical. Demetrius used the Water of Weakness to weaken her powers for a while.

"When she's needed again," he thought, watching the girl, "I'll give her the Water of Strength. Right now, her strength can be dangerous."

When Calendula finished breakfast, there suddenly was a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" Demetrius asked Calendula in a low voice.

"Cards, I suppose," the girl said. "I don't know if they're friends or enemies. I always feel weakened after breakfast."

"Duh! Of course those are friends," Demetrius laughed. "Every card soldier is on our side."

He opened the door and saw a group of seven Everafters standing outside. Demetrius had never seen them before, but all of them came from a pack of cards. There was a lovely-looking Queen of Diamonds with golden curly hair and big brown eyes; two jokers; the King and Queen of Spades; then the One and Two of Spades. All of them had red handprints on their clothing.

"I have never suspected the Queen of Hearts would allow two of another card queens to live in here," Demetrius thought.

"Welcome, friends," he said aloud. "What brought you to me?"

"Your daughter's talents are needed again!" the King of Spades said. "The Master wants to explain her new task to her."

"Does he want to see her?" Demetrius asked.

"He ordered us to bring her to Mayor Heart's palace," one of the jokers nodded. The Two of Spades unexpectedly chuckled:

"Oh, by the way, the Master is pretty sure that you're secretly weakening Calendula's magical power!"

Demetrius trembled. The Master knows everything, he thought. He was going to call for Calendula and give her the Water of Strength, when suspicion filled his head.

"Wait a minute!" he said. "I have a pocket mirror to talk with the Master. Why didn't he call me by this mirror?"

"He's too busy discussing the new plan with Sheriff Nottingham," the One of Spades explained.

"I see!" Demetrius cried. "I see! I'm sorry for weakening Calendula, I'm just afraid of her magic myself! I'll give her the Water of Strength right now! She'll be as powerful as before..."

"Fool!" a joker said. "Do you want to waste time? The Master has spells that can make the girl ten times as powerful as before! Your task: bring her here - now!"

Demetrius hurried inside the shack and called for Calendula. The girl came out.

"Hello, little one," the Queen of Spades smiled. "The Master wishes to give you another task."

"OK," Calendula replied. Demetrius locked the shack's door, and the group walked through the forest. The Queen of Spades was carrying Calendula, the men were guarding the path, and the Queen of Diamonds and Demetrius were going behind everyone else.

The thing is that Demetrius was still the same handsome young man, who liked flirting with pretty ladies. And the Queen of Diamonds, with her golden curls, hazel eyes and dazzling smile was really beautiful. The rest of the cards snickered when they heard phrases like:

"Ma'am, be careful, there's a brook running through your path."

"I've never seen eyes this beautiful."

"Can I invite you to a supper after the today's campaign?"

The Queen of Diamonds seemed to be slightly annoyed by that, but she didn't even pay much attention to Demetrius. When he was tired of trying to win her heart, he took a look around.

"Wait!" he exclaimed. "This path leads to Fort Charming! We must turn back at once!"

The card didn't even hear him. They walked faster and faster until Demetrius couldn't see them.

"Calendula!" he cried, chasing after the group. The Queen of Diamonds stopped him and said in a calm voice:

"You'll turn back now, alone. You won't remember anyone of us. You'll wake up in your bed. You don't have a daughter. OK?"

"Are you trying to hypnotize me?" Demetrius yelled. The Queen of Diamonds (or whoever she was) said the same words again and again, but Demetrius wasn't hypnotized.

"HELP!" he cried, knowing that a hobgoblin patrol would arrive in a minute. "THEY'RE ENEMIES!"

Suddenly, the Queen of Diamonds went through a stunning transformation. Her golden curly hair turned brown and straight, the tanned face became pale; the tall woman became short, and the brown-and-white uniform with a bloodred handprint turned into a bright yellow dress with ribbons and gemstones. It was none other than Beauty, who squeaked from fear and ran to Fort Charming.

It was too late! Demetrius kept yelling for help, so a large patrol of hobgoblins came running and surrounded poor Beauty.

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**A new cliffhanger! I'm starting to regain inspiration for this particular fanfic.**


	11. Calendula's point of view

**Thanks for the reviews! The chapter's title also shows the POV in this chapter. I've decided to pick a POV of the main character.**

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**Chapter 11. Calendula's point of view**

That Queen of Spades carried me through the forest, away from Dad, until I couldn't see him. Then, suddenly, the Queen of Spades started transforming! I was so scared when she turned into a human woman. A very beautiful one, with black hair, green eyes, and pale face. But a _human_! Dad told me about humans. They were evil, he said. They were very, very bad. They killed little girls.

I started crying as I saw the rest of the cards transforming. Most turned out to be humans, but the two jokers were in fact fairies.

When I began to cry, the woman tried to calm me down:

"Shhh, everything's OK. We're taking you to your Mommy."

Mommy? I remembered Mommy a little. She was always quarreling and fighting with Dad. She wanted me to live with her. She was very kind with me, but Dad didn't like her.

"Don't kill me," I begged.

"We won't kill you," a dark-haired human girl said with a smile. She looked like a very nice person, but Dad taught me not to believe my eyes. I asked:

"Are you in the Scarlet Hand?"

"No, but it doesn't mean we're evil," the dark-haired girl replied. I trembled and cried until I was tired of crying. Nobody spoke to me until we got to a large fortress. Presumably Fort Charming. The Master told me to take everything from that fort; so I did. "Now they're going to punish me for this," I guessed.

The fort's gates opened, and a woman rushed to our side. I recognized Mommy, though I hadn't seen her for several years.

"Mommy!" I squealed happily. The woman who was carrying me put me on the ground, and I ran to Mom's side.

"Oh, Calendula, you're finally back!" Mom said, smiling and crying at the same time. She kissed me and told the people who brought me there:

"I can't say how thankful I am! You brought my little daughter to me! Oh, I just can't express my happiness!" she took me in her arms.

"Will we live together now?" I asked.

"Yes, we'll live here, in the fort!" Mom said.

"Without Dad or Moth?"

"No, they don't want to live with us," Mom frowned.

"Moth was always so rude with me," I complained. "And Dad gave me some water that weakened me."

"Don't worry, I don't even know about that water," Mom spoke. "You'll be happy here. Don't be afraid of humans, many of them are wonderful people!"

She carried me to a newly built wooden cabin.

"That's our home," she said and entered it. The room was so large and full of light; and I noticed many different toys on the floor! It was so different from the house where I lived with Dad!

"Oh, what lovely toys!" I exclaimed. Mom smiled:

"You know, I have a roommate, another girl who lives here. Perhaps you remember her. Her name is Red. Some toys were made for her."

Red! Of course I remembered that girl. She talked in a strange kind of way, but she was always very gentle with me.

"Red used to pretend I was her little sister," I said.

"I know."

"I liked it, I always wanted a _kind _big sister," I sighed. "Moth is not kind at all!"

"Well, now, let's get settled," Mom suggested. "You have a room of your own on the first floor. Let's see how we can design it.

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**Ten minutes later**

"BUTTERFLY!" someone shouted from outside unexpectedly. Butterfly was my mother's name.

"Oh, I have to go and cook the dinner for those who live in this fort," Mom said. She stopped carrying toys into my room and asked me:

"Calendula, do you want to stay here or get acquainted with everyone?"

"I'll go with you, Mom," I said. I'm afraid to stay alone.

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**What happened to poor Beauty? I'll tell you in the next chapter.**


	12. In the Scarlet Hand Prison

**Sorry I have forgotten about this story for so long!**

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Chapter 12. In the Scarlet Hand Prison

Beauty's POV

When the ugly hobgoblins surrounded me, I screamed for help. But nobody came to rescue me, and a hobgoblin hit my head with his fist, and I can't remember anything that happened then.

I don't know how much time passed. I woke up in pure darkness, or at least I thought it was pure darkness. When my eyes adjusted to it, I could properly see a filthy prison cell. My feet were bound with chains, they hurt awfully. I trembled: my skin is so delicate, chains would leave terrible wounds on it.

I recalled the latest events and froze: I'd certainly be questioned and murdered now, I thought. I helped kidnapping that little girl, Calendula. Was she all right? Were my friends all right? I couldn't know. The only thing I knew was that I hadn't been all right at all.

"Hello?" I squeaked. "Can anyone hear me?"

"What? Who? What is it?" a woman's voice came from a dark corner of the cell.

"Are you from Charming's army?" I asked hopefully.

"We're not from any army! We were put here seven months ago!" the woman said. "Did you say there _is_ some army to fight against the Scarlet Hand?"

"Yes, there is, an army led by Prince Charming," I explained. "In fact, I used to be a part of it, but I was captured. Who are _you_?"

"Gretel," the woman replied. "I'm here with my brother."

"Hansel," I heard a man's voice.

"I'm Beauty," I said. They sighed with relief.

"Sorry for talking about personal things, but there was a wide gossip about your divorce a while back," Gretel said. "We knew the reasons of it. We knew you didn't want to be a part of the Scarlet Hand."

"Well, since I'm imprisoned by the Scarlet Hand, I should be considered as its enemy," I said.

"We have learned not to be so trusting," Hansel whispered loudly. "The Hand keeps sending spies inside the prison cells to find out if someone's planning to escape."

I shuddered. "Oh, when are my friends going to save me?" I thought bitterly.

"And where exactly are we?" I continued my questions.

"The Scarlet Hand Prison," Gretel replied. "It's located underneath the palace of the Queen of Hearts. There's a number of Everafters here, those who're not with the Hand. Every week, the Hand gives us a chance to surrender and become its member. But Hansel and I have decided: we'd better die in the cell!"

"I hope Charming sends a group to rescue me from here," I said. "We'll take you to our fort, the shelter to the people who fight with the Hand."

"I heard something about this fort," Gretel said. "Some other prisoners talked about it. I don't know if I ever see this fort."

"Oh, Gretel has nearly lost hope," Hansel sighed. I wanted to ask something else, but suddenly, the cell's door opened and three goblins came inside. One of them was carrying a loaf of brown bread, another was holding a large cup of cold water, the third one seemed to take care of the keys. They shoved the bread and the cup to us. The cup almost shattered on the floor, but I managed to catch it.

"Eat!" one of the goblins grunted.

"Remember, tomorrow is the day when every prisoner can join the Hand," another one said in a sugary voice. "Think about it."

They exited the cell, I heard the door being locked.

Gretel, who caught the bread, used her chains to cut it to three pieces. We ate it and drank the water. Everything tasted horrible. The bread was as hard as stone, and the water seemed to be taken out of the dirtiest river in the world.

"It's relatively nice today," Hansel said, trying to chew the bread.

"NICE?" I cried. "It's awful!"

"Ohhh, you don't know the food which is _really_ awful," Gretel scowled.

I sighed. I've always lived easily. I used to eat salads, artichokes, beef, bananas, whipped cream. (As I thought of that, I felt hunger again.) Even when living in the fort, I enjoyed my life in some way. Now I had to learn the hard way to live.

"I have a daughter, Natalie, left in Fort Charming," I told Hansel and Gretel sadly. "She's only thirteen years old! She needs a mother..."

"Don't lose hope," Hansel said. "You've just said that your friends would certainly try to save you.


	13. The sisters meet again

**Chapter 13. The "sisters" meet again**

Red's POV

I heard people talking about Calendula being brought to the fort. I was currently helping Nurse Sprat to sort the medicines, but I told her:

"Excuse me, Ms. Sprat. I want to see my little sister."

"You can go, Red, certainly," Nurse said. I rushed outside of the hospital cabin to the front gates. The group of Calendula's kidnappers was standing there.

"Is Calendula here?" I squealed.

"Yes, she's here," Mustardseed said, frowning. "But Beauty has been captured."

"What?" a cry came from the mess tent, and Natalie ran to us. "Mom's captured?"

"Don't worry, Natalie, we'll save her," Veronica said. "As for Calendula... Red, Lady Butterfly has taken her daughter to the cabin. But she'll soon come to cook the dinner, and you'll meet Calendula again."

* * *

The Grimms, Titania, Mustardseed and Natalie went to Mr. Seven to discuss Beauty's rescue. I followed them.

When we told Mr. Seven the news, he quietly cursed the Scarlet Hand and then said:

"I doubt they'll kill Beauty. Probably they'll try to urge her to betray us. It's easier with Beauty, because her ex-husband is in the Scarlet Hand. They may think that she wants to reunite with the Beast."

"What if she does?" Sabrina asked.

"I hope not. By the way, Natalie is here, so I'm sure Beauty will choose to be with her daughter. Yeah. I don't think she'll join the Hand."

"Then how can we rescue her?" Henry said. "We don't even know where she's kept."

"Oh, it's not so hard to figure it out. I'm almost certain that the prisoners are taken to some place where important leaders live. There are several important members of the Scarlet Hand, besides Mirror. The Sheriff of Nottingham. The Queen of Hearts. Nottingham has an office, Heart has a palace. The prison is situated nearby these places."

"How can we check it?" I mustered enough courage to ask, I was still shy. "Should we send some spy? Maybe some flying thing - like a bird?"

"EXCELLENT!" Mr. Seven exclaimed. Everyone jumped. "Of course, Red! But it won't be a bird. A bird is big enough to catch the attention of the guards. It must be something tiny. Any suggestions?"

"Goldilocks can command some insect to be a spy," Uncle Jake offered.

"It's risky," Mr. Seven shook his head. "An insect is defenseless. Many animal Everafters like eating insects: Bella and her parents, for example. And I think that no simple animal can stand a chance against the Scarlet Hand."

"I can transform into any animal you can think of!" Puck said with great pride.

"You're needed here just because of your talents," Mr. Seven said.

"Well, I have the same talents as well," Mustardseed said.

"You both will go, if we don't find any other person who can be a spy."

"I have an idea!" Sabrina suddenly cried. "I can be a spy!"

"Are you deaf?" Mr. Seven argued. "I've just said that only a _tiny_ living thing can go to the Scarlet Hand Prison."

Sabrina smiled slyly:

"We have the magic wands," she chuckled.

"Not anymore," Henry said. "Sabrina, have you forgotten that we've been robbed?"

Sabrina was confused for a while, but then her face lit up again:

"Calendula's here, with us! We can ask her to bring everything back! I hope she agrees. I'm even sure she'll agree if Lady Butterfly asks her."

"Let's try it!" Seven nodded and unexpectedly yelled:

"BUTTERFLY!"

* * *

For a moment, I was pretty sure my eardrums were shattered. But I heard footsteps coming to us, and turned to look at whoever was running. It was Lady Butterfly. And Calendula was running several feet away from her, because Butterfly was too fast.

"Calendula!" I cried happily and ran to the girl. She hugged me:

"Red! Will you be my big sister instead of Moth?"

"Of course, little sister!" I exclaimed.


	14. The Surrender Day

****

**This chapter is about Beauty again!**

* * *

Chapter 14. The Surrender Day

Beauty's POV

We didn't know how much time had passed since the "dinner". Hansel and Gretel told me:

"Ariel, I mean the character from 'The Tempest' play by Shakespeare, is locked in a cell next to ours. He can see the sky and the weather outside, though he can't escape. On the moment of sunset, he knocks on our wall twice. At dawn he knocks on our wall three times. At noon he does it four times. That's why we don't lose the feeling of time."

Indeed, some time later we heard two knocks on the wall. Gretel sighed:

"Try to rest, Beauty. Tomorrow's going to be very, very bad."

"Why?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear what the guard said?" Hansel asked back.

"It's the Surrender Day tomorrow," Gretel explained. "On this day, any prisoner can become a member of the Scarlet Hand."

"O-oh!" I shuddered. "The last thing I will ever do."

"Prepare yourself," Gretel said. "So, good night."

"Good night," I replied and closed my eyes. It was hard to fall asleep, though. I thought about my daughter, Natalie. She left the Scarlet Hand officially after my divorce... What can happen to her in the fort? She's completely alone, poor kid. Why, why did I give her to Rumpelstiltskin thirteen years ago? If I didn't do it, then she wouldn't have been a part of the Scarlet Hand. Beast wouldn't have tried to urge her to stay with him (and in the Scarlet Hand). She wouldn't have been so uncertain about it. She'd have lived a much happier life.

But what was done is done.

I sighed and thought:

"Tomorrow I'll certainly meet my ex-husband. He'll remind me of our happily ever after - a perfect life together. I'll remember everything and... oh, what if I agree to become a member of the Hand? Oh, no, no, no. It's all my nerves. I won't do this for all the money in the world."

Thinking about all this, I fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

I was woken up by three knocks on the wall. When I opened my eyes, I heard Hansel and Gretel yawning and saying "good morning" to each other.

"Good morning!" I said to them. They both smiled faintly.

"Bad morning, in fact," Gretel sighed. "The worst morning in the week."

It wasn't long before we heard the guards' footsteps, and the same three goblins stepped into the cell. They unlocked our chains and led us through a dark cold corridor. Suddenly, a bright ray of light nearly blinded me, and we found ourselves in a large round hall, with a table filled with excellent food.

"Is it poisoned?" I whispered to Gretel.

"Unfortunately, no," she replied. "It's the best food ever cooked, and that's the worst thing."

The Sheriff of Nottingham, with an unnaturally pleasant smile, welcomed the prisoners:

"Hello, everybody! Take the seats and have as much food as you want."

I took a seat between Gretel and a fair-haired thin young man. Gretel introduced us.

"That's Beauty," she whispered to the man. "Beauty, it's Ariel."

"Gretel told me about you," I said. Ariel nodded and advised:

"You better not eat much. Everything's delicious, but it's a trap. Nottingham wants the prisoners to see that the Scarlet Hand members have such breakfasts every day."

I followed the advice and ate some black bread with a cup of weak tea. It was only a little better than the bread-and-water meal I tried to eat yesterday.

"Does anyone want to eat the same meal tomorrow and every day?" Nottingham asked, slyly looking at the crowd of prisoners. I sighed with relief. There were no such fools today. Nottingham frowned a little, but his fake smile didn't fade away. He led us to a large warehouse, full of gold, silver and gemstones, as well as fabulous jewelry. Mirrors were hanging on the walls. I closed my eyes to get over the temptation...

* * *

_*Flashback Starts*_

_I'm standing on a marble stairway, in front of a full-length mirror. I'm wearing a lovely yellow dress with silk ribbons. There's a diamond necklace on my neck. My right hand is adorned with a golden bracelet, my left hand - with ruby and emerald rings. Opals are in my hair. _

_The Beast walks down the stairs and exclaims:_

_"Oh, Beauty! You look spectacular!"_

_He takes my hand, and we walk together to join the New Year celebration. I hear people's whispers: "Beast's young wife is gorgeous!" We start waltzing, the sweet music fills the air._

_*Flashback Ends*_

* * *

I shook my head and tried to hide tears appearing in my eyes. But Nottingham had already noticed them.

"Beauty, do you want something of the jewelry?" he asked. The fake smile grew as wide as possible, but it looked disgusting on his face.

"NO!" I snapped. He shrugged and walked the prisoners away from that room.

"What was that?" Gretel whispered.

"I had a flashback!" I answered sadly. "I remembered my happy life and..."

"I understand," Gretel sighed. "On the first of the Surrender Days, it was so hard for _us _not to eat everything on the table. Did you read the story of Hansel and me?"

I nodded.

Nottingham showed us a room full of rich clothes, then a library, then a wonderful garden... In the garden, Ariel sighed with sorrow, and Nottingham heard it, of course. But Ariel looked at him evilly, and he pretended he didn't notice the sigh.

Nobody surrendered. Finally, Nottingham brought us back to the dining hall and told us:

"Wait here!" His fake smile wasn't as wide as in the morning.

"Idiots," he added in a low voice and left the hall.

"Uh-oh..." Gretel said. "Beauty, prepare yourself for the hardest part. You're going to meet your former husband very soon. If you get over this part, then you'll earn my respect forever. Thankfully, it's the last trap set for us on the Surrender Day."

"Does everyone has relatives in the Hand?" I wondered.

"Mostly former friends," Ariel said. "Miranda and Ferdinand, the main characters of 'The Tempest' and my former best friends, are in the Scarlet Hand. They try to convince me to join them. _Duh_!" he said, just like Sabrina Grimm.

"Shut up!" one of the goblins announced.

"They're coming," Gretel mouthed. I didn't need the explanation: I understood everything.

The doors opened, and the Sheriff of Nottingham brought a huge crowd inside the hall. I saw the Beast among them.

* * *

**That's all for now. Review, please!**

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	15. The end of the Surrender Day

****

**Thanks for all the reviewing, and to EstrangeloEdessa - for nominating the story for the September winners forum!**

* * *

Chapter 15. The end of the Surrender Day

**Gretel's POV**

While Beauty was staring at her ex-husband, terrified, Hansel and I were preparing to be tortured as well. Hannah, our evil stepmother, was in the Scarlet Hand. Every Surrender Day she tried to convince us to join it.

"There she comes," Hansel mumbled. Indeed, Hannah walked to us. She was ugly like the worst nightmare, but she put a ton of makeup and dye on her head - which made her look even uglier. Her twisted lips stretched into something that was supposed to be a smile.

"Hello, dear children," she said, and we went away from the others.

"Are you still suffering in this terrible prison, my poor things?" Hannah asked. Then she searched her purse for a handkerchief to wipe her eyes, but we knew the trick. There were several pieces of onion hidden in the handkerchief, so instead of wiping the fake tears away, it made her eyes water.

"Yes, we're suffering, but our souls are clear," Hansel snapped. "We're not ashamed of joining this wretched group."

"Oh, but Charming's army is truly wretched!" Hannah exclaimed. "Let's say the Master will set both of you free. What will you find in Fort Charming? Peasant's wooden cabins, no food, everyday battles - oh, I would never be able to live in such an awful place!"

"HA!" Hansel said and showed her his clenched fist. I added:

"Ugly fool!" I knew Hannah thought she was beautiful and smart! Her gross smile disappeared, and she screamed:

"Sheriff! Sheriff! Don't bring these... filthy rude rats in here anymore!"

Sheriff Nottingham came quickly to her assistance, snatched Hansel and me by the collars and dragged us away. Oh, I was relieved. Hannah had lost her temper at last! Now, perhaps, we wouldn't have to talk to her on the Surrender Day ever. I glanced to see my friends. Ariel was still arguing with Miranda and Ferdinand, Beauty was speaking something to the Beast.

"Please please please please don't get tricked by them," I whispered as we were shoved into the prison corridor. Goblins walked us to our cell, and we waited for Beauty and Ariel.

* * *

**Ariel's POV**

Miranda and Ferdinand were discussing something with Nottingham. It took them a while, so I had a chance to look around.

The first person I noticed was the Ugly Duckling. He was captured in the very beginning of the war. His real mother, a pure white elegant swan, was crying and telling him:

"Oh, those ducks brought you up terribly! I'm so happy that I'm in the Scarlet Hand, but my happiness is spoiled, because you're kept in this prison! My son, do you love your mother?.."

The Ugly Duckling was in deep thoughts. He used to be one of my friends, so I was very worried about him. Especially when after his mother's sad speech a tear slipped out of his eye and he said:

"Well, maybe, yes, I'll joi..." I shot him a look of betrayal and disappointment. Thank goodness, he understood it and shook his head:

"No, no. I won't join your Scarlet Hand, mom. I'm sorry, but it's firm."

The white female swan burst into hysterics, and Glinda the (not) Good Witch carried her away. By that moment, Miranda and Ferdinand finally came to talk to me. They softly reminded me of our friendship, of how Miranda's father saved my life, but when they paused, I calmly said the same words I always used on the Surrender Day:

"It was a happy time, but the memory of it will never change my decision."

Miranda gave up, and Ferdinand soon followed her. He signaled to the guards to walk me away, and so they did. I chuckled and shouted to the Scarlet Hand members:

"I'll never wear a red handprint!"

Just as usual.

* * *

**Beauty's POV**

The Beast walked to me and exclaimed:

"Beauty!.. Oh, dear, I didn't know about that! Why didn't you agree to join the Hand? You look terribly sick..."

"Because of the Hand," I said.

"You don't even know how kind the Master is! He organized the Surrender Day to reunite families which were broken in this war! Just like our little family. Beauty, you know that you still love me. And our Natalie needs a father. By the way, where's she? Is she all right?"

"She left the Hand to be with me, as you well know," I said coldly. "She's healthy and safe, and she lives in Fort Charming!"

"But it's horrible to live in there, as the Master has told us recently!" the Beast said. ''My darling, I'm sure you don't even have enough room of your own to live in..."

"Nonsense!" I laughed. "I have a large tent - all for me and Natalie."

"A _tent_!" the Beast was genuinely shocked. "Beauty, you just couldn't forget the wonderful palace where we met!.."

_*Flashback Starts*_

_...I'm walking around the Royal Garden. Cherry trees are all around me, and my dress is a light shade of pink, like the cherry blossom. The paths of the garden are decorated with marble, bronze and stone sculptures._

_The White Tower of the palace is right in front of me. The Beast is standing on the balcony of the second floor, and he's smiling to me. I run to the Eastern Entrance of the palace, I rush up a marble stairway, and I enter a hall with a floor covered with Persian rugs and pictures hanging on the walls..._

_*Flashback Ends*_

"You were the one who ruined my happiness," I said firmly and blinked several times to get away from the dream. "It was all your fault.'

"But if you come back to me, along with Natalie, we'll be happy again!" the Beast smiled. "The Master built a large villa for us - it's a little smaller than our old palace. It has a big garden of beautiful cherry trees. I remember that you loved cherry blossom! You will live there; Natalie and you won't even have to take part in battles. After all, you're so tender! You'll be finally happy! I know that you're unhappy in that awful fort!"

A flow of flashbacks filled my mind. Tears welled in my eyes. I imagined my future happy life I'd life if I'd have joined the Scarlet Hand. I was confused and distracted, and it was really hard to figure out the right and the wrong.

But I did it and I made my choice in the end.


	16. The plan's changed

**Chapter 16. The plan's changed**

Beauty's POV

I looked straight into my ex-husband's eyes, took a deep breath and calmly said:

"No, Beast. You're not the same as before. I don't love you anymore. All you and the Hand want is conquering the world!"

The Beast sighed sadly:

"Oh, my dear, I wish you'll change your mind in a week."

He walked away, and the goblins dragged me to my cell. Hansel and Gretel were anxious to see me.

"I feared you had joined the Hand!" Gretel exclaimed. "Well, Beauty, you have my genuine respect."

"It was a torture," I breathed. "The Beast reminded me of the happy times - for a minute, I was lost in flashbacks - I couldn't decide anything..."

"I understand," Gretel said softly. "I can imagine it. You see... For us personally, it's not so terrible. Our stepmother has no happy memories to remind us of," she chuckled. "In fact, it's the easiest part of the Surrender Day for me."

"Well, there's one good thing today!" Hansel announced. "There's a whole week to pass before the next Surrender Day!"

We agreed. Soon, Ariel knocked at the wall, signaling us to go to sleep.

* * *

**Several hours ago**

**At Fort Charming**

Red's POV

My adopted little sister was introduced to the rest of us. Mr. Seven immediately asked her:

"Calendula, did your father tell you to take something out of Fort Charming and bring it to the Hand?"

"Yes, Mr. Seven, he told me to transport everything but the walls," Calendula nodded. "I did it."

"Well, can you bring everything back?"

Calendula looked at Butterfly, then at me. She wasn't sure. She was brought up in the Scarlet Hand, after all.

"Yes, dear, please bring everything to the fort again," Butterfly advised her.

"It will help us a lot," I added.

"All right," Calendula agreed at last. "Wait a minute, Mom and Red."

She closed her eyes, frowned, and -

* * *

- Fort Charming started to regain its usual looks!

I looked around, startled. The garden appeared on the place where we were standing, then the old living area came to its old place, the watchtower rose to the sky, the cannons were on the walls again... Butterfly and I clapped. Everyone else followed us.

"Wonderful! Calendula, thank you so much!" Butterfly exclaimed and kissed her daughter. Calendula's little face lit up with pride and happiness. But the Grimms and Mr. Seven were concerned on the serious subjects again.

"I think we should change our plans about Beauty's rescue," Mr. Seven said firmly.

"What? Why?" Puck asked. "I'd love to see Grimm turning into an insect!"

"She will turn into an insect," Mr. Seven smiled faintly, "as well as you, Mustardseed, Henry and Veronica, and other fairies, and everyone who would volunteer to be a part of the rescue group! You'll fly as a swarm of mosquitoes to the Scarlet Hand Central Prison and..."

"Hooraaay!" Puck cried.

"Where are the wands?" Daphne wanted to know. She bit her hand, as usual.

* * *

**I'll try to update more often, but this chapter is all for now!**

**REVIEW, please!**


	17. Rescue

**So sorry for not updating this story for THIS long! I have eight more stories besides this one in progress, and I'm unable to update each of them daily!**

**I think this story is going to be over quite soon. I can't write long epic fanfics yet…**

**But I have good news too: this story's definitely going to have a sequel!**

* * *

**Chapter 17. Rescue**

Beauty's POV

I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. I tried to free my mind of the memories of this awful Surrender Day. I hoped I would be somehow rescued before the next one. What if the Beast would finally convince me to become a member of the Hand? That's what I was terrified of.

Through my sleep, I heard some strange squeaking sound. I opened my eyes (my eyelids seemed oh so immensely heavy!)

A swarm of mosquitoes was buzzing right above my ear. I hate all insects except for butterflies and colorful beetles! And I can't _stand_ mosquitoes!

"Ugh! Get away!" I groaned and waved my hand. The mosquitoes flew over to Gretel, and hovered near her face until she was woken up as well. Then the swarm moved to Hansel, who turned out to be a good sleeper: it took the tiny insects five minutes or so to awaken him. They looked nervous by the end of this time. I guessed they had some time limit for waking us up.

"They're not plain mosquitoes. I know it," Gretel said, watching her brother rubbing his eyes, yawning and looking at the swarm sleepily.

"Anyone can see it!" I agreed. "They want to wake us up!"

"Shhh!" Gretel whispered. "The guards can hear."

When Hansel got up and opened his eyes, the mosquitoes flew away from him, and the whole swarm started to change shape. The insects moved in a queer way that made the swarm look like a grayish note written in midair:

THERE'S A STONE IN THE WALL OF YOUR CELL

They moved again, and the letters changed:

YOU CAN PUSH IT, AND IT WILL FALL OUT OF THE WALL

Another series of imperceptible movements:

GET OUT THROUGH THE HOLE IMMEDIATELY

And another:

MOST OF US ARE FAIRIES, WE'LL SHAPE-SHIFT BACK INTO OUR TRUE FORMS

And another:

WE'LL CARRY YOU AWAY FROM HERE. HURRY! HURRY! HURRY!

* * *

The three of us were too dashed to argue or to ask any questions. The swarm moved to one of the cobblestones the wall was built of. We understood the hint, ran to the stone and pushed it together. It fell on the ground of the prison yard with a BUMP.

"C'mon," Gretel breathed. "Be quiet."

Gretel and I easily got through the hole, but Hansel had somehow remained fat since his early childhood. We helped him together. Without our help, I suspect he'd still be there, half-in and half-out of the prison cell.

The mosquitoes followed us and suddenly turned into an army of fairies. There were several people in it, though - some of the Grimms, as I remember.

"Excellent!" Prince Mustardseed grinned. "You got out of there just in time."

"Wait... there are other prisoners..." I finally had a chance to speak.

"Not so fast," Mustardseed shook his head. "We barely managed to rescue you."

Three strong fairies took Hansel's, Gretel's and my hands and took off the ground. The rest of the rescue group followed them.

I'm terribly afraid of heights, so I closed my eyes and wished we'd get back to Fort Charming as soon as possible. Hansel and Gretel seemed more relaxed, I heard them asking some pleasant questions to the fairies.

Finally, the fairy soldier who was carrying me laughed and announced:

"Beauty, you may open your eyes. We're home!"

My feet felt firm ground beneath them.


	18. Epilogue

**I've terribly busy in the winter and the spring, so I'm afraid I'll update rarely. You can leave requests for a sequel for this story if you want**

**Chapter 18. Epilogue**

**10 years later**

Calendula's POV

We've managed to beat the Hand badly, and so Snow White and the Pied Piper are able to start secondary school in Fort Charming! I'm so glad! You see, the ten plus year old Everafters can be useful in fighting, that's why we have had only primary classes before.

Now, as the Hand is beaten – not defeated, but beaten – Mr. Hamelin and Ms. White, as well as the children, have more of free time! Hooray!

Mom is mending the white blouse I wear for school. It's a big day tomorrow, I want to look good!

Red, my big sister, is away. She claimed in the morning that she'd be walking in the fort's garden, but _I_ think she's walking there with Prince Mustardseed now. They both grew up to twenty years, you see. Mustardseed wants to go to the university when the war ends, and Red – as for Red, I'm not sure… (giggle)

Aunt Beauty – not really an aunt, just a good friend – is now instructing her daughter Natalie in the rules of behavior at school. I can see them through the cabin's window. Beauty's second husband, Ariel, is our temporary commander since Mr. Seven had been severely injured.

"Hey, Calendula, want to help us with the big feast we're preparing?" I hear a voice behind me. Aunt Gretel. The fattest woman in the fort besides Nurse Sprat. She's kindly and generous.

"I think I will," I smile. Of course, I want to taste the candy and the cake before everyone else does!

"Bring the plates from the buffet cabin to the table."

I teleport the plates to the table, as told. I can teleport things.

"Good, we'll give you some scones!" Gretel chuckles.

"Calendula, come over here, let's see if the blouse still fits you!" Mom calls. I hear Red's and Mustardseed's laughter near the cabin.

"Butterfly! Calendula!" Red cries as she rushes into the cabin, smiling and blushing. "Mustardseed and I… we're engaged."

My family's full now.

**Sequel will most certainly be written.**


End file.
